The St. Louis Billikens have reached 15 wins in just the second year under coach Rick Majerus following their 69-61 win over Charlotte at Chaifetz Arena.  The Billikens have now four in a row and need to stay hot if they want a chance to dance.

SLU senior guard Kevin Lisch scored a team-high 18 points, all of which were scored in the second half, on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from the beyond the arc.   Kwamain Mitchell added 14 points, including 8-of-10 from the free throw line, while Tommie Liddell III chipped in with 13 points and Barry Eberhardt added 11.

The Billikens turned a 10 point deficit into a 16 point advantage in the span of 22 minute that covered the final ten minutes of the first half and 12 minutes into the second.  The Bills shot 57% in the second half. 

SLU has six games remaining, three at home and three on the road before the Atlantic 10 conference tournament.  Four of those final six games will come against teams ahead of them in A-10 standings with a game on Saturday against Rhode Island and matchups with Duquesne, Dayton, and St. Joe. 

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Atlantic-10 Standings

Kwamain Mitchell’s driving layup in the final seconds just rolled out as the Saint Louis Billikens dropped a tougt 47-46 decision to Dayton Atlantic 10 Conference action on Thursday night at UD Arena.

The Billikens allowed an alley-oop back door slam, then had the ensuing inbound pass stolen and still had a chance to win, but missed as Mitchell appeared to try to draw the foul more than try to make the final shot.

The Flyers are now 8-0 in games decided by five points or less, the best record in the country

The Billikens stand at 11-9 overall, 2-4 in the A-10. The Flyers improve to 19-2 overall, 5-1 in the league and remain unbeaten at home. The Billikens close out a two-game road swing Saturday, Jan. 31, when they take on Fordham at 6 p.m. (CT) in the Broxn, N.Y.

Saint Louis freshman forward Willie Reed recorded a career-high 18 points as the Billikens ousted Maryland-Baltimore County 81-60. SLU, which has won six of its last seven, moves to 8-5 overall and 6-1 at home in Chafetz Arena.

UMBC, an NCAA tournament team from a season ago and riding high after a win at Nebraska in its last outing, dips to 6-6.

Tommie Liddell III notched a team-high 19 points for SLU, which recorded its season high with 81 points. Reed’s career-best 18 points came on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor. He also had three blocks and three rebounds. Liddell was 6-of-10 from the field and is just one point shy of breaking into SLU’s all-time top 10 in career scoring.

Southern Illinois used a 10-2 run in the second half at SIU Arena in Carbondale, Ill., to pull away with a 64-48 win over St. Louis.

The Billikens missed their first eight shots before Tommie Liddell hit a jumper for SLU. The Billiken defense held down SIU who only led 11-2 nine minutes into the game. Kevin Lisch completed a three-point play, and a Liddell steal and layup brought SLU to 11-7. However, the Salukis held a 24-16 lead at intermission.

The second half spurt by the Salukis was too much for St. Louis to handle.  Lisch led the Billikens with 13 points, while Liddell also reached double figures with 12. Carlton Fay led the Salukis with 17 points.

The Billikens fall to 2-4, The Billikens host Savannah State on Saturday, Dec. 6. Game time at Chaifetz Arena is 7 p.m.

Doc Sadler’s Nebraska Huskers are 4-0 following a hot shooting night as they beat the Saint Louis Billikens 71-57.  The Huskers shot 59% from the floor, and 36% from three point range.  Sek Henry had 19 points on 7 of 8 shooting.

The NU defense continued to play stingy defense holding SLU to just 42% shooting, slightly above their 38% average limiting the Billikens to 10 of 24 shooting in each half.   

The Huskers’ strong play on offense included posting just six turnovers, easily a season low. NU held Saint Louis to 41.7 percent shooting, but the Billikens nearly kept even behind their rebounding. SLU outrebounded the Huskers 28-20, including grabbing 12 offensive boards. Freshman Brian Conklin led Saint Louis with 18 points and six rebounds.